About the Scholarship

The Legacy of Zainab Scholarship Fund was established to provide academic scholarships to students pursuing undergraduate and post-graduate education at an accredited academic institution in the Metro Detroit area. It is open to all full-time college students enrolled in a degree program, as well as prospective freshmen.

The fund offers one $1000 scholarship and one $500 scholarship to college students and prospective freshmen.

Eligibility

To be eligible* to apply for the scholarship, you must be:

  • A high school senior planning to attend an accredited college or university in the state of Michigan as a full-time student, or

  • Currently attending an accredited college or university in the state of Michigan as a full-time student.

Deadline

All submissions must be received by Sunday, October 20, 2019 11:59 PM

Contest

Choose one of the following topics to write an essay about:

Topic 1:

Approximately 1,300 years ago, Imam Hussain (A) stood against corruption and oppression when he led a movement against Yazid’s government. However, what many fail to appreciate is that, more importantly, Imam Hussain’s (A) movement was focused on defending the Islamic values that Yazid endangered. Imam Hussain (A) fought to protect the dangers of ignorance and deviation from the principles that Prophet Muhammad relayed just decades before. Today, comparably, there are efforts threatening the Islamic values that Imam Hussain (A) fought to protect, including the family structure and dynamic. Describe one or more of the ongoing efforts/movements that threaten the Islamic family dynamic. Be sure to address how these efforts/movements are inconsistent with the familial principles that Prophet Muhammad instilled.

Topic 2:

When Imam Hussain (A) embarked on his journey to Karbala, several members of his immediate and extended family joined him. Based on the narrations, we learn that there were many exceptional relationships amongst those present within Imam Hussain’s (A) camp (i.e., brother-brother, brother-sister, father-son, etc.). Analyze and describe the relationship that stands out most to you. How has this relationship, including the interactions that took place during the Battle of Karbala, influenced your familial relationships and/or understanding of the Islamic family structure?

Paper Guidelines

  • Submit as a Microsoft Word Document with 1-inch margins

  • Include a title and abstract that briefly summarizes the content of the essay

  • Paper must be between 1,000 to 2,000 words

  • Lines must be 1.5 spaced and typed in 12-point Times New Roman font

  • Cite all quotations and sources using footnotes throughout the essay

  • Any additional sources must be cited in a “References” sections at the end of the paper

  • All footnotes and references must be cited according the APA format (footnotes must include page numbers)

  • All transliterations from Arabic must be in accordance with the library of congress transliteration system: http://archimedes.fas.harvard.edu/mdh/lcromanization.pdf

Submission Requirements

Identification: On the cover page of the essay paper, participant must provide:

  • Full Name

  • High School Name (if high school student)

  • College/University currently attending or planning to attend

  • Expected Graduation Date

  • Major

  • Contact Information (Address, Phone Number, and Email Address)

Proof of Enrollment: Participant must provide a PDF copy of current high school or college transcript.

Judgement Criteria

  • Adherence to the submission guidelines

  • Adequately addressing the essay topic and demonstrating the ability to articulate and support a point of view as demonstrated by essay content and creativity

  • Research of the topic (including citations of published works)

  • Usage of correct grammar, punctuation, and language

  • Accrediting all information to their sources

  • All content being that of the applicant unless properly accredited to its source (any essay with plagiarized content will be immediately disqualified)

All required documents must be submitted by email to: scholarship@ashuraproject.org.

*The Ashura Project's board members and members of the Education and Publication Team are not eligible for participation.